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(No Model.)

P. S. WALD 0. APPARATUS FOR CHARGING SODA WATER FOUNTAINS. No. 408,276. Patented Aug 6, 1889.

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UNITED STATES aTnNT D:

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FRANCIS S. IVALDO, OF NEV YORK, N. Y., ASSIGNOR TO THE FIRM OF JOHN MATTHEIVS, OF SAME PLACE.

APPARATUS FOR CHARGING SODA-WATER FOUNTAINS.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 408,276, dated August 6, 1889.

Application filed May 28, 1888. Serial No. 275,875- (No model.)

To all whom it may concern.-

Be it known that I, FRANCIS S. \VALDO, a resident of the city, county, and State of New York, have invented an Improved Apparatus for Charging SodaWVater Fountains, of which the following is a specification.

lleretofore soda-water fountains have been charged by first admitting under pressure and then admitting the aerated liquid to the fountain under greater pressure than the gas, said liquid thereby expelling the gas previously admitted; but it was always difficult, if not quite impossible, to determine when the required amount of liquid had been admitted to the fountain.

It is the object of my invention to provide means for checking the process of filling the fountain when the required amount of liquid has entered therein.

The invention consists in the details of improvement and the combination of parts, that willbe more fully hereinafter set forth.

Reference is to behad to the accompanying drawings, forming part of this specification, in which- Figure lis a side elevation of an apparatus for charging soda-water fountains containing my improvements. Figs. 2, 3, and 4 are sectional elevations of modified forms of apparatus embodying my invention; and Fig. 5 is an enlarged detail sectional view showing the valve g.

In the accompanying drawings, the letter A represents reservoirs for containing aerated liquid. There are three of such reservoirs shown in the drawings, connected together by a single pipe a; but they may be otherwise suitably arranged, or but one such reservoir used. The liquid in the supply-reservoirs A is to be kept at a certain pressure.

I) is a pipe that connects the reservoirs A with the fountain B to be filled. \Vithin the fountain B is a pipe 11 that extends through said fountain to near the lower part thereof, and is a fixture in the fountain. The pipe 12 is adapted to be connected to the pipe I) when the fountain is to be filled. Zr is a valve in the pipe I) to regulate the flow of the liquid.

D is a gas-reservoir, in which the gas should be kept at a lower pressure than the pressure of the liquid in the reservoir A. A

good proportion of pressure I find to be one hundred and forty pounds gas-pressure to one hundred and fifty pounds liquid-pressure; but the difference in liquid-pressure over gaspressure may be varied to suit the .requirements. Instead of using separate reservoirs of gas and liquid, butone reservoir for both may be used. I

o is a pipe that leads from the gas-reservoir D to the fountain B. \Vithin the upper part of the fountain B is anipple f, thatis adapted to be connected with the pipe 6, the nipple being a fixture in the fountain. The distance that the nipple f projects into the fountain 13 determines the height to which the liquid shall enter said fountain, as hereinafter shown. The fountain B is or may be provided with suitable valves to regulate the flow of the liquid.

lVithin an enlargement in the pipe eand near the fountain B is placed a ball-valve 9, that rests upon a cross-screen in the enlargement g Gas from the fountain can pass through the screen and around the ball; but when the liquid from the fountain passes into the pipe (2 and reaches said ball it will float the ball to its seat and close the passage through the pipe; but the valve g may be otherwise suitably arranged.

7L is a gage that is connected with the pipe e between the valve-ball g and the fountain l5, and it acts as hereinafter shown.

t' is a glass tube that may be placed in the pipe 6, to show when water from the fountain ascends in the pipe e The pipe e is preferably provided with a valve 6 to regulate the flow of gas in said pipe.

The fountain B is charged as follows: The fountain is first placed in proper position and the pipes b 6 connected to the pipe b and nipple f, respectively. The fountain is then filled with gas from the reservoir D through the pipe 6 and nipple f. The soda-water or other liquid is next admitted to the fountain B from the reservoir A through the pipes 11 11 As the liquid enters the fountain,it forces the gas in the fountain to the top of the fountain, and most of it through the nipple f and pipe 6, hack to the reservoir D, the liquid taking the place of the gas thus forced out. Then the liquid has reached the end of the nipple f, it can go no higher in the fountain, the gas that is left in the fountain above the end of said nipple acting to prevent the liquid rising farther; but the liquid (continuing to enter the fountain) will pass up in the pipe e until it meets the ball-valve g, when it will raise said valve to its seat, and thus close the pipe e, preventing further passage of the liquid. The liquid so stopped in the pipe 0 will then act on the gage h. The gage h indicates the pressure of the liquid, which, being higher than the pressure of the gas, shows that the fountain is filled; or, by inspecting the glass pipe i, it will be known that the fountain is filled when liquid appears in said pipe '2'.

From the above it will be seen that the fountain will have received liquid up to a certain desired height. By adjusting the inner end of the nipple within the fountain the amount of liquid to be admitted can be regulated by the distance of the nipple from the top of the fountain. If preferred, other reservoirs than those shown in Fig. 1 can be used for filling the fountains.- In Fig. 3 is shown a construction wherein the fountain is charged with liquid by gravity. In said figure is shown a single reservoir A, that may contain both the liquid and gas. Both the pipes b and 6 lead from said reservoir to the fountain l3, and are connected to the pipe b and nipple f, similarly to that shown in Fig. 1. The pipe 6 contains the valve-ball g and the glass pipe 2'. The pressure of the liquid in the fountain A will exceed that of the gas.

To charge a fountain with this construction, said fountain is first filled with gas, either from the reservoir A or elsewhere. After the pipes b e are connected with the pipe 11 and nipple f in the fountain, and said fountain is filled with gas, the liquid is admitted from the reservoir- A. This liquid forces the gas that is below the nipple f through the pipee and also closes thevalvc g,

thereby stopping the flow of the liquid, while the gas left inv the fountain prevents the liquid entirely filling the same, as hereinbefore explained.

In the modification shown in Fig. 3 the nipple f, instead of projecting into the fountain, is flush with the inner wall thereof. \Vhen the fountain is to be filled, it is tipped sidewise, more or less, so that a portion 13 of the fountain will be above the gas-outlet f, this being an equivalent of projecting the nipple inwardly. When the fountain is being filled, as before shown, the gas in the part 13 0f the fountain above the outlet f will prevent the liquid rising above said outlet, while the liquid will pass up the pipe 6 and close the valve J.

In the modification shown in Fig. 4, the the valve-ball g is dispensed with, while the pipes Z) e,.lcading from the reservoir A, are suitably connected to the pipe' b and nipple f. I11 this case when the liquid reaches the nipple f it passes up the pipe 6 until it is on a level with the liquid in the reservoir A, when no more liquid will pass.

lVith the arrangement shown in Figs. 3 and 4 the fountain could be completely filled, if preferred, by placing the nipple f fiush with the top of the inside of the fountain.

It will be understood thatin the above cases the fountain I5 should be charged with gas before the liquid is admitted; also, that the liquid should be at a greater pressure than the gas, whether in the same or separate reservoirs.

It is evident that the valve-ball g could be dispensed with if the glass pipe 2' or the gage h were watched, and the flow of liquid stopped by the valve 6 when liquid appeared in said gage.

In filling apparatus heretofore employed the attendant never could know whether the fountain was full as far as desired except by putting the fountain on a scale and weighing its contents. By the use of my invention the filling process is automatically stopped under all circumstances, unless sooner arrested by the use of hand-valves.

I am aware that gas-pipes have been placed in fountains; but they have reached down near the bottom of the fountain and passed into and below the surface of the liquid in the lower part of the fountain. This I do not claim; but

lVhat I do claim is 1. The fountain B, having a separate liquidinlet extending nearly to the bottom of the fountain, serving also as a final dischargepipe, and a gas-nipple f, extending to the level of the water in the fountain when filled, both carried as fixtures by the walls of the fountain, combined with the pipe 6, having float-valve g, substantially as described.

2. The fountain B, carrying as fixtures the liquid inlet pipe 11 and the gas-nipple f, the liquid-inlet pipe extending nearly to the bot tom of the fountain, to serve also as a final discharge-pipe, and the gasnipple extending to the level of the liquid in the fountain when filled, as specified.

F. S. WALDO.

Witn esses:

JosnPH CONNER, HARRY M. TURK. 

